The author of American Psycho, Less Than Zero, and countless ill-advised tweets has scripted and directed a video for the company’s Troisième Scène with a, um, singular riff on The Barber of Seville.
Study: Pop Music REALLY Doesn’t Like Old Age
Recently published research that examined the way aging is depicted in widely played songs finds “mainly negative representations” of the process of getting older.
Free Speech On School Campuses Is Under Attack From All Sides
“It is threatened by police spies, overzealous administrators, and students who are intolerant of dissent. It is threatened by activists agitating for speech codes and sanctions for professors or classmates who disagree with them. It is threatened by people who push to disinvite speakers because of their viewpoints and those who shut down events to prevent people from speaking.”
When The Man Went All ‘Reefer Madness’ On Dungeons And Dragons
“These days your life isn’t complete if you aren’t part of a role-playing gaming group, but it wasn’t that long ago that playing Dungeons & Dragons was seen as a surefire ticket to madness and damnation.”
The Met Breuer’s Opening Show Is Actually Terrific
Peter Schjeldahl: “Most critical responses so far to ‘Unfinished’ … seethe with unstated resentments. The writers quibble with a theme that tracks changing notions of ‘finish’ through almost seven centuries of Western art … They find it a gauzy sort of curatorial idea – which it is, but with one overriding, tremendous virtue: calling attention to visual facts.”
When Shakespeare’s Father Saved Paintings From Henry VIII
“William Shakespeare’s father has been credited with saving priceless paintings that were hidden in an historic chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon. John Shakespeare was Bailiff of the town during the Reformation under King Henry VIII, and was ordered to remove them from the Guild Chapel.” (video)
China Bans Depictions Of Gay People On TV And Web Video
“Chinese censors have released new regulations for content that ‘exaggerates the dark side of society’ and now deem homosexuality, extramarital affairs, one night stands and underage relationships as illegal on screen. Last week the Chinese government pulled a popular drama, Addicted, from being streamed on Chinese websites as it follows two men in gay relationships, causing uproar among the show’s millions of viewers.” – The Guardian
People In The Book Business Are So Optimistic About Print That They’re Opening Indie Bookstores
“There really is a very positive feel out there at the moment. I never did believe that e-books were the iPod moment for printed books; you really can’t beat the feel of a good book.”
The Sly, Beautiful Snark Of Teenage Jane Austen
“For my money, these youthful writings are Austen’s most astonishing achievement after the six novels.”
Plagiarism Scandal Rocks The Crossword World
Timothy Parker, USA Today Crossword editor, has been copying elements from New York Times crosswords but also republishing old crosswords he created years earlier … under fake author names.
The City Of Austin Has A Problem With ‘Dance Walkers’
“It seems like an unnecessarily strict interpretation of rules. What are we doing wrong, and why would you stop people from making other people smile?”
The 15-Year-Old Who Left Her Small Oregon Town For A Shot At The Bolshoi
“In her Moscow neighborhood, the women in her favorite grocery store have taken a shine to the delicate American teen, helping her pick out fresh fruit and keeping her favorite almond butter stocked. And in the local Starbucks they have learned to spell her unusual name on her cup.”
The Met Breuer Adds Space … And A Big Budget
“Integrating the Breuer has involved considerably more than giving the Brutalist building a new coat of paint. The museum spent the last several months rethinking everything from cooling systems to the training of 110 staff members to its curatorial approach to contemporary and modern art.”
One Actress Confirms What We All Know: TV Is Doing More Than Hollywood
“Given where American movies currently are, with few good parts for women, let alone black women, it’s doubtful that Ms. King would have found something as good and as juicy as what she’s got on television.”
What Did Harper Lee’s Will Say? We May Never Know
“A judge in Monroe County — the section of Alabama where Ms. Lee was raised, and where she died last month at the age of 89 — agreed to seal the will in a decision made on Monday and released on Friday by the probate court.”
It’s Good For Journalism, And For Art, To Loosen Copyright Restrictions
“Fair-use laws already technically protect the publication of images in relation to criticism and news stories. But the day-to-day on this is more complicated than saying, ‘Hey, this is fair use.’ Part of this is because navigating copyright is downright labyrinthine.”
Claim: Repatriating Benin Bronzes Does Not Right A Wrong
“In fact, repatriating artefacts on the basis of what we feel about history would be a serious mistake. Not only would the world’s museums – and institutions like Cambridge University – be emptied, it would be allowing modern-day sensibilities to rewrite history in terms of simplistic goodies and baddies, when it is always more complicated than that.”
More Debate Over Casting Zoe Saldana As Nina Simone
“A debate over whether Zoe Saldana is the right actress to star in a biopic of Nina Simone, the black singer, pianist and civil rights activist, has been reignited after a poster and trailer of the movie were unveiled online this week and a message from a Twitter account belonging to representatives of Ms. Simone’s estate attacked the actress.”
French Police Seize Old Master Painting From Prince Of Liechtenstein
“A Paris judge seized on Tuesday a painting attributed to the artist Lucas Cranach the Elder from an exhibition in Aix-en-Provence after doubts were raised about its authenticity. Part of the Prince of Liechtenstein’s collection, the work is to be examined by experts.”
Forest Whitaker’s Broadway Debut Closes (Very) Early
“The revival [of Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie], which had its opening night on Feb. 25, will close on March 27, after a total of 55 performances, including previews. It had been scheduled to run through June 12.”